Guest TegRacer324 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I've been in a welding class since Januarary and all we've been doing is stick welding. Tonight I tried out one of the MIG's that they have laying around and I must say holy god it's about 10x easier. No slag, everything looks cleaner, and a hell of a lot easier to do vertical. It kinda gave me new hope for the Z. Now all I gotta do is find a MIG to buy somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 yep...MIG is much easier. Just wait until TIG...then you will be having some fun... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpyvette Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 "Just wait until TIG" OH YEAH! once youve used a good TIG setup,,with a torch that has the amp control on the handle and a quality, instant darkening helmet vs the foot petal,controls most tig setups use, it sorta spoils you, and prevents you from liking for every other process http://www.weldingdirect.com/weldingdirect/amconhanmoun.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some-Guy Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I cant wait to get into tig welding I tried it once with a shitty machine and it didnt work out so well but ill try again sometime dont have access to one right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zwannabe Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 i did a welding class and we only stick welded for like 2 hours then we moved to mig and tig. i still need practice on the tig but mig is definately my favorite. i would like to get a welding job but being 17 it's hard to find places that want to hire me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TegRacer324 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Yeah I dunno if we'll be going into TIG at all since this guy is pretty old school. I'll be happy with MIG though since I know that's what I'm going to be able to afford right now anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I actually prefer the foot pedal so that I can change the amperage while welding. this is really important on stainless and aluminium. and a water cooled torch is really nice...unlike the dynasty(it's ONLY downside) that is aircooled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I just reserved the last spot in a new local welding class, go to sign papers tomorrow. This class is kinda set up by John Deere, with the intent of hiring the people who meet their standards afterwards. The class leans towards Mig, but I think we cover some tig as well. Kinda pricey, but it is accelerated and has a high probability of a decent job at the end... and comparable credit classes would end up costing as much or more. Looking at grabbing the $100 welding helmet at Harbor Freight, anyone used these? I can get a better one later, unless this one is a waste right off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I don't know about where you are but up here you can find a used MIG for like $50 at every other garage sale but they are usually those crappy costco ones but you might find a good one and the crappy ones are fine for body work (if they work). A good one will always have optional gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big-phil Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 good times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I bought my helmet at HF...it is fairly decent for a weekend welder but if you get a job welding look at a $300 helmet such as a speedglas or a jackson or one of those swiss helmets...they are much better. the only thing is that the HF helmets area little on the heavy side compared to the $150 miller/lincoln/jackson/speedglas helmets...if you are doing production get a speedglass and then add leather or denim to it to get really good spark protection. if you get the HF helmet GET THE WARRANTY!!! you have to ask for it and it is like $10 for two years of warranty. These helmets do tend to stop working after about a year!! and be sure to sit the helmet under a light for 48 hours to give it a good initial charge!!! or the first time you arc there will be a high probability you will get flashed! not good at all...and don't spend more than $60 on a HF helmet. and ask for a student discount!!! they have given me a 10% discount before...lately I have heard of people having problems with HF wanting to give a discount. but it can't hurt to ask. good luck in your welding class! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjarloz Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 yea welding class makes a huge diffrence. im in one at my school right now i started on oxyacetalyne and dear god that was hard compare to mig and arc. hehe i start tig next week. (Warm Fuzzy FEELings) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaysZ Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 i'm also taking a class but no matter what you sign up for (i signed up for MIG) they start you on stick here. its harder for sure but its good to know. the way i see it, if you can do stick well, you can do any of it well! MIG was cake compared to this... they have some sweet millermatics, i wish i could get my hands on one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Looking at grabbing the $100 welding helmet at Harbor Freight, anyone used these? I can get a better one later, unless this one is a waste right off the bat. When I bought my Miller welder it came with a Hobart helmet. That thing kept flashing me, and I think at the time I was arguing with Pop N Wood that cheap helmets sucked, for proof I was using my "better quality" Hobart helmet to compare against. Well, he pretty much stuck it to me, showed me that the time to darken and the size of the lens was at least as good as the Hobart helmet, so I ended up buying the HF helmet. I got mine for $49.95. It is a TON better than the Hobart helmet that my welder came with. Only flashed me once or twice now, and that's when there was a little flame going on, like some paint burning right next to where I was welding. For some reason that little tiny flame really seems to mess with the switch that changes the lens from light to dark. Here is a link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=91212 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Holy chit! And I thought I was just annoying everyone! I've had my HF helmet for a couple of years with no problems. Good weekend helmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yeah, I bought the thing a couple months back. Probably should have dug up the old thread and updated it but didn't. I agree though, if you're a pro get a pro helmet, but the cheap one does do the trick for us weekend warriors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tannji Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 Good to hear... I will go with the cheaper one then. What about the Lincoln WeldPak 3200HD? seems to be similar to the 175, except it is a 120 input instead of the 220, and almost $200 cheaper. Thinking I would get that to learn on, then go good quality later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I did some MIG. It was real satisfying work and pretty easy after some practice. Hey, I wonder if the corvette forums have a welding thread or do they have a gluing-fiberglass thread instead? hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zwannabe Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=46092 i have this helmet, works great, i bought it on sale though. i too prefer the pedal overall, it gives me a better feel of what i'm doing, kinda like cruise control i feel helpless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 The newer inverter TIG machines play havoc with a lot of the lower cost auto darkening helmets. I use a Speedglas 9002X and it stays very steady even when welding .049" stainless tube at 40 amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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